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[EatChildren]

Reposting my questions here as they quickly get lost in a sea of e-penis supersampled screenshots.

My first question, regarding the supersampling monitor trick:

Someone explain this for my stupidness.

What is the difference between following the steps in this guide for 1440p supersampling, and just entering a custom resolution of 2560x1440 without fiddling with the timings?

To elaborate on my confusion, following the (confusing) guide steps screwed up my aspect ratio, meanwhile my quick and dirty approach works fine.

If I go to create a custom resolution, and simply put in the values 2560x1440, while keeping timing set to automatic, everything is fine. The resolution is successfully set, shows up in games, and matches the 16:9 aspect ratio of my monitor.

However, if I follow the guide's steps and start fiddling with the timings, eventually entering the 2560x1440 values once the horizontal/vertical total pixel boundaries are found, the aspect ratio is skewered too high horizontally.

What I don't understand is what value messing with the timings has over simply creating the resolution outright. Why go through the effort of tweaking the timings? Is this just to find your theoretical limits? I don't see any advantage in doing this if 2560x1440 works with automatic timings. For me there was a disadvantage as it messes up the aspect ratio.

And the second, regarding the image quality on my PC:

Gah, conundrum! Noticed what appeared to be some blurring in Arkham City at 1440p. Took a shot to compare between that and 1080p native. Low and behold, there's ever-so-slight clarity loss at the former downscaled resolution. Damn!

What's annoying is if I take a 1440p capture from fraps and downscale it to a 1080p image, that image looks clearer than the native 1080p capture.

I'm guessing this is my monitor, not handling downscaling of higher resolutions as well as I'd thought?

 

[Oxn]

Probably asked a billion times but is there a point going form 8GB ram to 16GB?

 

[CatPee]

Probably asked a billion times but is there a point going form 8GB ram to 16GB?

Absolutely none unless you do heavy HD video rendering/editing or some insane multitasking. 8GB is plenty for a gaming-focused PC.

 

[Thraktor]

That'd be stupid, in a "couple of years" DDR3 will just be like DDR2 now, harder to find and more overpriced - By then DDR4 will have taken over.

Always buy the RAM when it's in mass production.

DDR4 isn't scheduled to hit consumer-level hardware until 2015, DDR3 will be around for a good while.

Edit: Anyway, my point was that putting 16GB of RAM in a gaming PC today to "future proof" it is pointless when (a) we don't know if games will come along in the lifetime of the machine that actually need 16GB of RAM and (b) if they do, you can just upgrade.

 

[mtommy]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

 

[Gunmonkey36]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

nope.

 

[Gvaz]

That'd be stupid, in a "couple of years" DDR3 will just be like DDR2 now, harder to find and more overpriced - By then DDR4 will have taken over.

Always buy the RAM when it's in mass production.

Last I checked they were skipping DDR4 and going right to DDR5

 

[kharma45]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

Absolutely not.

 

[RibbedHero]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

If you don't have an SSD, purchasing one would be an upgrade. Otherwise, nothing needs to even remotely be changed.

 

[kharma45]

If you don't have an SSD, purchasing one would be an upgrade. Otherwise, nothing needs to even remotely be changed.

Yeah not a bad shout that, or maybe a new monitor if you feel you need one.

 

[Thraktor]

Last I checked they were skipping DDR4 and going right to DDR5

You're probably thinking of GDDR5 (which is actually based on DDR2).

 

[MrBig]

Is DDR5 even going to be a thing? Memresistor tech would have surely eclipsed anything (if it comes to reality as planned) by the time we would be moving to DDR5.

 

[iAmMaximus]

Are the Dell IPS monitors worth it? I found a reasonably priced 22" on Craigslist, but not sure if I should pull the trigger or not. It'd be a secondary monitor to the 24" Asus I have right now.

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

Are the Dell IPS monitors worth it? I found a reasonably priced 22" on Craigslist, but not sure if I should pull the trigger or not. It'd be a secondary monitor to the 24" Asus I have right now.

They have better image quality than those 120hz monitors. I would pick it up if you have a good gaming monitor already. I have a u2311h.

 

[iAmMaximus]

They have better image quality than those 120hz monitors. I would pick it up if you have a good gaming monitor already. I have a u2311h.

Awfully tempted to pick it up now... :\

 

[Infinite Justice]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

You could get an SSD so you can have some crazy low OS/Program/Game boot times (if you haven't already). Other from that your current build is solid.

 

[iAmMaximus]

Alright so I found another monitor, but it's a newer model of the 24" Asus I have right now. Should I opt for the smaller Dell 22" IPS or go for the 24" Asus; it'd be used as a second monitor. $120 each.

 

[CoachKevin]

OK now Metro 2033 is crashing on me. This has to be a video card issue right if the RAM is checking out with MemTester?

Or is it worth trying a different brand of ram?

 

[Wubby]

Finally taking the plunge on an SSD. Prices have been dropping quite a bit and I found an OCZ Vertex 4 256GB for ¥17800 which is the cheapest I've ever seen it in Japan. Should arrive sometime this week. Not looking forward to installing windows and other programs again. But I am looking forward to much faster loading times.

Also at a local computer shop I found a used but good GTX 570. It's the same card that I have in my system now and it's priced at ¥16000 which isn't bad. I'm on the fence if I should go buy it tomorrow and go with an SLI setup. When I built my rig early 2011 I did build it to be able to handle an SLI setup... I just don't know if I really need it or not.

 

[LEGGZZZZ]

Gaf, i am torn,

I'm trying to decide on a monitor for my 1st build, but can't decide whether to go 24 ips
display (dell ultrasharp) or a 27" 2560 x 1440 (possibly crossover). Is the difference between 2560 x 1440 and 1080p that huge? I want to go with the 27" 2560 x 1440, but also know it will be more costly in the long run to game at that resolution at the highest settings with a acceptable framerate (I plan on picking up a gtx 690 to go in my build). Any suggestions from anyone out there who owns either or both? I also plan to using it for graphic design, so the extra real estate on a 2560 x 1440 wouldn't hurt. I'm not interested in 120hz. Thanks for any help.

 

[MrBig]

Gaf, i am torn,

I'm trying to decide on a monitor for my 1st build, but can't decide whether to go 24 ips
display (dell ultrasharp) or a 27" 2560 x 1440 (possibly crossover). Is the difference between 2560 x 1440 and 1080p that huge? I want to go with the 27" 2560 x 1440, but also know it will be more costly in the long run to game at that resolution at the highest settings with a acceptable framerate (I plan on picking up a gtx 690 to go in my build). Any suggestions from anyone out there who owns either or both? I also plan to using it for graphic design, so the extra real estate on a 2560 x 1440 wouldn't hurt. I'm not interested in 120hz. Thanks for any help.

Not interested in 120hz and going to be using it for art- go with a 27". A 690 would be wasted at 1080 60hz, even a 680/670 wouldn't be fully used. You can get 60fps in most things with a single 670 at 1440p- but it isn't flawless performance that a 690 would surely net you.

The crossover is great- especially for design since you don't have a terrible AG coating on it like the Dell- but if you go with the dell what you're paying for is the warranty. Though you could buy 2 crossovers for the price of a U2711, or 3 for the price of a U3011. I do painting on my Crossover and it is a fantastic experience, in color and size.

 

[mkenyon]

Are the Dell IPS monitors worth it? I found a reasonably priced 22" on Craigslist, but not sure if I should pull the trigger or not. It'd be a secondary monitor to the 24" Asus I have right now.

If you like super vibrant colors over everything, yeah. The U23H has the lowest response time of any panel out there, TN/120hz included. It's something like .8ms.

OK now Metro 2033 is crashing on me. This has to be a video card issue right if the RAM is checking out with MemTester?

Or is it worth trying a different brand of ram?

The only way to know would be to test a different videocard. Otherwise you are just guessing pretty much.

Gaf, i am torn,

I'm trying to decide on a monitor for my 1st build, but can't decide whether to go 24 ips
display (dell ultrasharp) or a 27" 2560 x 1440 (possibly crossover). Is the difference between 2560 x 1440 and 1080p that huge? I want to go with the 27" 2560 x 1440, but also know it will be more costly in the long run to game at that resolution at the highest settings with a acceptable framerate (I plan on picking up a gtx 690 to go in my build). Any suggestions from anyone out there who owns either or both? I also plan to using it for graphic design, so the extra real estate on a 2560 x 1440 wouldn't hurt. I'm not interested in 120hz. Thanks for any help.

Check out the Crossover 27Q. Not quite as good for (competitive) gaming due to the higher input lag than some of the Dell's, but you can't beat the price for an Apple Cinema Display.

I do really think you should consider at least checking out a Samsung S23A/27A. I swear the colors are right there (when calibrated) with the 27Q. 120hz isn't something you want to brush off as uninterested until you see it in person. The graphic design use does put you a bit more into the IPS camp though.

so at a local computer shop I found a used but good GTX 570. It's the same card that I have in my system now and it's priced at ¥16000 which isn't bad. I'm on the fence if I should go buy it tomorrow and go with an SLI setup. When I built my rig early 2011 I did build it to be able to handle an SLI setup... I just don't know if I really need it or not.

Only you can answer as to whether or not it's worth it. Are you feeling limited in some games? Do you have the case to handle the second card, cooling-wise?

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

BenQ XL2420T or Samsung S23A700D/900D (no 750D due to needing displayport). Plus an SSD.

 

[CoachKevin]

The only way to know would be to test a different videocard. Otherwise you are just guessing pretty much.

Got it. Will try out the replacement GTX570 tomorrow.

Just in case, is there an alternative video card I should look at? Something that is $300-400 that will play most stuff out today at max specs at 1080p?

 

[kharma45]

Got it. Will try out the replacement GTX570 tomorrow.

Just in case, is there an alternative video card I should look at? Something that is $300-400 that will play most stuff out today at max specs at 1080p?

670 would probably be best, can get them for about $400 on the dot I think.

 

[Scala]

Guys (it's my first post in NeoGAF), can you recommend me a good pc configuration to play smoothly Guild Wars 2? I really need a new pc.
Thanks in advance.

 

[CoachKevin]

Dammit. Just had a hard lock and had to hard reset while modifying a google doc.

Are there any other kinds of tests or diagnostics I can run to see what is going on? Could the video card cause hard locks as well?

Swapped out the ram with 16GB of Gskill ram (which I tested) and still having issues.

Thanks again for all the help guys.

Also here is a snapshot of the bios settings when I rebooted to run Memtester on the Gskill ram a few hours ago after another crash:



Direct link: http://i.minus.com/iVZLJ5eY6xpqM.JPG

Would my power supply be causing these issues?

 

[Raide]

Guys (it's my first post in NeoGAF), can you recommend me a good pc configuration to play smoothly Guild Wars 2? I really need a new pc.
Thanks in advance.

Check out the OP for a good rundown and advice on how to ask for other varied specs.

 

[Noaloha]

Guys (it's my first post in NeoGAF), can you recommend me a good pc configuration to play smoothly Guild Wars 2? I really need a new pc.
Thanks in advance.

In addition to the OP as mentioned, since you're looking for something specifically to play a certain game you might do well to ask in the GW2 thread and ask the beta players what sorts of rigs have surfaced as minimum/recommended for the game.

 

[hitmon]

PCI-E is backwards and forwards compatible. 690 only card that is currently bottlenecked by 2.0 speeds. Processor controls PCI-E lanes, so only Ivy and *some* socket 2011 support it.

What kind of PSU do you have in your pre-built? Proc? Actually, just fill out the template in the OP.

At what resolution does it start to bottleneck or is it bottlenecked the whole time? Just curious.

So i cleaned off old TIM and reapplied new TIM. My temps are between 47-51 C browsing. I also remembered wrong and I think I might be using a stock heatsink that came with the processor (has Intel sticker on it). Maybe its time for me to just get a new heatsink? This is the first time I've paid attention to temps so I'm not sure if these temps were what I was running at the whole time.

 

[lemonade]

Anything to upgrade here??

For a few days now i keep bugging myself to upgrade my current system. Not really sure if it would be beneficiary at all right now, but can't help thinking about it. You know when you set your mind on something - it's hard to resist. I only do gaming and so far everything runs great.

Would it be useful to do anything at this point?

Current system:
Intel Core i5 2500K@4.5
ASUS P8Z68-V Pro
EVGA GeForce GTX 580 SC SLi
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3-1600

I was thinking of upgrading as well. Though it would be fruitless as of now. Was leaning towards getting 2 680 lightning xtreme cards but opted out. I'll definitely be in the market next year. Just recently brought a sager 9170 with the 680 card. My current pc rig is identical to yours.

Intel core i5 2500k
Gene-Z Republic of Gamers
MSI GeForce GTX 580 lightning xtreme sli
G.Skill 8GB DDR3-1600

 

[LEGGZZZZ]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. One more question, isn't it possible to downscale on a 2560 x 1440 monitor to 1080p? I remember someone mentioning playing games in 1080p in window mode (blacks bars around the screen to compensate for the decrease to 1080p). With a monitor that large, I probably wouldn't even mind doing so if need be, just wanted to hear any opinions on it, as it would again push me towards buying 2560 x 1440 monitor rather than 1080p.

 

[Aurizen]

I'm planing on buying a laptop from HP its a HP Pavilion dv6t-7000 Quad Edition the computer is what I'm looking for but the price is fine but the tax isn't helping. anyone know if HP will have a sale will make the price drop anytime soon?

 

[MrBig]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. One more question, isn't it possible to downscale on a 2560 x 1440 monitor to 1080p? I remember someone mentioning playing games in 1080p in window mode (blacks bars around the screen to compensate for the decrease to 1080p). With a monitor that large, I probably wouldn't even mind doing so if need be, just wanted to hear any opinions on it, as it would again push me towards buying 2560 x 1440 monitor rather than 1080p.

As in when the input is only 1080p it will render it at 1080p? It will only do that if there is no scalar, either in software or the monitor itself. The Dell has a scalar, the Crossover does not.

 

[Ceebs]

As in when the input is only 1080p it will render it at 1080p? It will only do that if there is no scalar, either in software or the monitor itself. The Dell has a scalar, the Crossover does not.

I think he is talking about running full screen and setting the video drivers to maintain the resolution.

Something like this: 1080p not stretched or scaled.

(sorry for the shitty phone pic)

 

[scogoth]

Reposting my questions here as they quickly get lost in a sea of e-penis supersampled screenshots.

My first question, regarding the supersampling monitor trick:



And the second, regarding the image quality on my PC:

Automatic should work. This guy is adjusting total pixel area to the maximum limits without go over 165MHz pixel clock which is the specification limit for single link DVI. The quality issue is a scaling issue with your monitor and the total pixels not being exactly the right aspect ratio, increase vertical total pixels should help. Really I would not recommend this method if MSAA or SSAA is supported in game or through nvidia control panel. The scaling hardware in your GPU is far better then what is in your monitor.

 

[Ceebs]

Oh, as a followup I just saw that you were planning on a 690 in your build. You will not have any trouble playing games at a native 2560X1440.

Every game I have tried at native res on my 670 outside of Witcher 2, Crysis 2, and Metro 2033 has run at 60FPS, and even those stay above 30FPS. Even DayZ runs at 60FPS 90% of the time and that game is performance nightmare.

If you are not opposed to 30FPS, the 670 can even handle supersampling on UE3 games at that res with no other AA enabled. I gave the original Borderlands a go supersampled and was hitting about 45 FPS.

The 690 would crush it as the extra GPU will scale very well at such a high resolution.

 

[LEGGZZZZ]

I think he is talking about running full screen and setting the video drivers to maintain the resolution.

Something like this: 1080p not stretched or scaled.

(sorry for the shitty phone pic)

Yeah that's exactly what I mean. I imagine I can do the same with games in 1080p if need be?

Edit: Thanks for for explaining how well the 670 handles those settings. So long as I can get 30 fps I'll be happy. I may consider downgrading to a
680 now, and upgrading to sli if need be later to save on some cash, thanks again.

 

[Ceebs]

Yeah that's exactly what I mean. I imagine I can do the same with games in 1080p if need be?

That is a game running at 1080p.

 

[LEGGZZZZ]

That is a game running at 1080p.

Oh, couldn't tell if it was a movie or not. Thanks again, I imagine all monitors come with that
option? Sorry for the dumb questions.

 

[Ceebs]

Oh, couldn't tell if it was a movie or not. Thanks again, I imagine all monitors come with that
option? Sorry for the dumb questions.

It's something you set in your video card control panel. The same spot where you specify if you want things to maintain their aspect ratio or stretch to fill the screen.

Some monitors may have the option build in, but since the Crossover has nothing but brightness settings I have to control it through the control panel.

 

[crisdecuba]

Okay here's a question. For my new computer I got the following mobo and CPU:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
i5 3570k

Using the built in OC settings, I can get as high as 4.2GHz. Anything above that results in a crash / BSOD.

I don't believe that temperatures are an issue, but at the same time I don't know the first thing about OCing. Are there any confirmed custom settings out there for this mobo / CPU combo? Or is 4.2 the most I'll get??

 

[Ceebs]

Okay here's a question. For my new computer I got the following mobo and CPU:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
i5 3570k

Using the built in OC settings, I can get as high as 4.2GHz. Anything above that results in a crash / BSOD.

I don't believe that temperatures are an issue, but at the same time I don't know the first thing about OCing. Are there any confirmed custom settings out there for this mobo / CPU combo? Or is 4.2 the most I'll get??

Are you adjusting voltage or just raising the multiplier?

 

[crisdecuba]

Are you adjusting voltage or just raising the multiplier?

I'm using the "preset" options present in the BIOS (an "easy overclocking" tool)

 

[Petrie]

Now that I'm through that, is there an easy way to get Windows to allow me to format the old drive that used to be my OS drive? Currently it won't allow any formatting or anything of that disk.

Reposting because I'm still stumped. When I go into disk management the disk I want to format is labeled healthy (System, Active, Primary Partition), while the other is (Boot, Page File, Active, Crash dump, primary partition). Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Ceebs]

I'm using the "preset" options present in the BIOS (an "easy overclocking" tool)

There is your problem. Go read the guide in the OP and do it right. It's not that much harder, it just takes a bit more time.

 

[MrBig]

I'm using the "preset" options present in the BIOS (an "easy overclocking" tool)

You'll have to do it manually. No presets should ever be used because all hardware is different, and automatic solutions will be grossly unoptimized.

 

[gutterboy44]

Since I want to use offset voltage and not manual, my mobo, Asrock z77 extreme 6, when set to the built in OC for 4.0ghz, gets all of the settings correct. The only thing is some people saying use LLC of Level 3 or 2 and it defaults it to Level 5. Otherwise things look exactly the same. Has been stable and cool.

 

[Sutton Dagger]

Okay here's a question. For my new computer I got the following mobo and CPU:

ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Z77 ATX Intel Motherboard
i5 3570k

Using the built in OC settings, I can get as high as 4.2GHz. Anything above that results in a crash / BSOD.

I don't believe that temperatures are an issue, but at the same time I don't know the first thing about OCing. Are there any confirmed custom settings out there for this mobo / CPU combo? Or is 4.2 the most I'll get??

I have the same setup, and I'm actually using the auto settings to get a 4.4ghz OC. What temps are you getting from 4.2?

 

[hitmon]

So I"m a bit confused. HWMonitor is showing my 4 cores at around 53-60 degrees C, but Asus AI Suite shows my CPU at 44 degrees C. I"m still going to order a new heatsink, but anybody know which would be more accurate? I'm going by the higher temps to be safe, but would like to know anyways.

 

[MrBig]

So I"m a bit confused. HWMonitor is showing my 4 cores at around 53-60 degrees C, but Asus AI Suite shows my CPU at 44 degrees C. I"m still going to order a new heatsink, but anybody know which would be more accurate? I'm going by the higher temps to be safe, but would like to know anyways.

AI Suite shows the socket temp not the core temps